ABCC Continues the Fight Against Unlawful Union Activity

The newly appointed Leigh Jones, head of the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC), says the commission will take on a extended regulatory role to that currently.

The Howard government set up the commission initially to help curb illegal industrial action. However Unions claim it has too much power to target them.

Appearing before senate estimates yesterday Mr Jones noted the ABCC has terminated its long-standing practice of referring wages and entitlements claims to the Fair Work Ombudsman and will recover wage and entitlement under payments for Building and Construction Industry participants.

"As commissioner, I'm determined the ABCC evolve into a full service regulator," he said. "The ABCC will continue to work towards eliminating unlawful industrial action.
"The ABCC will promote harmonious equitable practices on site and tackle issues including sham contracting and underpayment of building workers."

The Federal Opposition and construction unions have both reacted uneasily to the remarks. The Opposition's workplace relations spokesman Eric Abetz says the Fair Work Ombudsman already investigates employers. "The concern is the focus will be away from stamping out thuggery," he said.

The CFMEU faught hard to remove the Howard Government as it claimed the Liberal Government had extreme laws regarding Work Choices that needed to be abolished. After leading their members to belive that it was the Howard Government that was taking thier rights away, now the CFMEU is running campaigns on how the Labour Government is spending unnecessary tax payer dollars to fund the ABCC and its unlawful activities.

CFMEU's Dave Noonan says the commission is a fundamentally discriminatory body. "Any changes within the existing institution of the ABCC are only cosmetic," he said.

However Th Austraian has reported that BUSINESS groups have told the government not to dismantle the Australian Building and Construction Commission.

"We strongly support the retention of the ABCC in its current form, with its existing powers, structure and funding intact," Victorian Master Builders Association head Brian Welch said. Mr Welch said working days lost per 1000 employees due to workplace disputes in the building industry had fallen by more than 90 per cent since the creation of the ABCC, while wages for building industry workers had risen by more than 30 per cent.

ACCI director of workplace policy David Gregory said the ABCC played a key role in dealing with the worst excesses of behaviour in an industry that contributes almost 10 per cent of GDP. "It will be a major step backward if the gains that have been achieved in the last five years in the Australian building and construction industry . . . are put at risk or threatened by changes to the structure or powers of the organisation," Mr Gregory said.

The Government says it is confident the ABCC is acting in line with its legal requirements.